A Guide to Today’s Most Popular Diets

What words like 'gluten-free' and 'paleo' actually mean.

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We’ve all been there. You plan a dinner with friends only to find out that one is lactose-intolerant, another can’t eat gluten, and one just saw a video on animal cruelty and swore off meat for life. But what exactly are these diets? If you find yourself wondering what is on or off-limits, this guide is here to help. Whether you’re picking a restaurant or hosting a dinner party, your friends will appreciate you taking the time to cater to their needs and preferences. Oh, and you won’t accidentally poison them.

Gluten-Free
A gluten-free diet excludes any products that contain the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, bulgur and tritcale (a cross between rye and wheat). Remember: most beers and some vodkas also contain gluten!

Dairy-Free/Lactose-Intolerance
Some people choose to follow a dairy-free diet because they are allergic to the dairy proteins themselves. Others do so because they are lactose-intolerant, which means they lack the enzyme (lactase) that digests milk sugar, called lactose. While the presence of dairy in some products, like milk and cheese, is obvious, check labels carefully for other hidden sources such as curds, whey, and casein.

Raw Food
People who follow a raw food diet aim to eat mostly raw fruits, vegetables, and grains. The idea behind this diet is to avoid heating foods because doing so is said to destroy nutrients and natural enzymes.

Paleo
The Paleolithic, or “caveman,” diet is designed to emulate the diet of those who lived during the Paleolithic era. This leaves out dairy products, grains, legumes, potatoes, processed foods, salt, coffee, alcohol, and refined sugar